Raymond Gosling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Raymond Gosling
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Gosling in 2003 "DNA at King's – the continuing story: 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA"
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| Born | 15 July 1926 Wembley, London, England
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| Died | 18 May 2015 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University College London King's College London (PhD) |
| Known for | DNA |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | King's College London |
| Thesis | X-ray diffraction studies of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (1954) |
| Doctoral advisor | Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin |
Raymond George Gosling (born July 15, 1926 – died May 18, 2015) was a British scientist. He was a PhD student at King's College London. There, he worked with Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin. Their experiments used a method called crystallography. This work created important data. This data helped James Watson and Francis Crick figure out the shape of DNA.
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Early Life and Education
Raymond Gosling was born in 1926. He went to school in Wembley, England. From 1944 to 1947, he studied Physics at University College London. After that, he worked as a hospital physicist. This was from 1947 to 1949. Later, he joined King's College London as a research student. He earned his PhD degree from King's College.
Amazing Work on DNA
Starting at King's College London
When Raymond Gosling arrived at King's College London, he met Sir John Randall. Randall asked Gosling to study the structure of DNA. Sir John believed that DNA carried the genetic code. This is like a secret instruction book for living things.
Gosling worked with Maurice Wilkins on this project. They prepared DNA samples. They made the DNA into thin threads. Then, they took pictures of these threads using X-rays. Gosling was the first to take an X-ray picture of DNA that had formed crystals. He said, "I must be the first person ever to make genes crystallize."
Working with Rosalind Franklin
After his first X-ray work, Gosling started working with Rosalind Franklin. She joined King's College in 1951. For the next two years, they worked very closely. They made their X-ray photography technique much better. They took the clearest pictures of DNA at that time.
In 1952, Gosling took the famous X-ray picture of DNA. It is known as Photo 51. This picture was very important. It helped Francis Crick and James D. Watson understand the correct chemical shape of DNA. Crick, Watson, and Wilkins later won the Nobel Prize in 1962. This was for their discoveries about DNA.
Gosling also helped write one of the three important papers about the DNA double helix. This paper was published in the science magazine Nature in April 1953. Rosalind Franklin had passed away four years before the Nobel Prize was given. Gosling was not recognized by the Nobel Committee.
After Franklin left King's College, Gosling worked with Wilkins again. He finished his PhD studies with him. They wrote a second article in Nature about their DNA X-ray analysis.
After King's College
Teaching and Research
Raymond Gosling stayed at King's College for a short time after finishing his PhD in 1954. At that time, people did not fully understand how important the DNA work was. So, Gosling did not find a chance to continue his research at King's.
He then became a physics teacher at Queen's College. This college is part of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Later, he found a long-term job at the University of the West Indies. For a few years, he continued his crystallography research. He studied the structure of nucleotides, which are parts of DNA.
Focus on Medical Physics
After that, Gosling changed his focus. He started working in medical physics. This field uses physics to help with medicine. He designed equipment to study and find problems with atherosclerosis. This is a condition where arteries become narrow.
Work at Guy's Hospital
In 1967, Gosling came back to the UK. He became a teacher and professor at Guy's Hospital Medical School. From 1984, he was a Professor of Physics Applied to Medicine. At Guy's Hospital, he helped create new medical science and technology. He worked on haemodynamic doppler ultrasound. This technology helps doctors check blood flow in blood vessels. He also set up a special unit for this at the hospital.
Gosling was part of many committees at the University of London. He stayed active in medical physics almost until the end of his life.
Personal Life
Raymond Gosling and his wife, Mary, had four sons. Their oldest son is Tim Gosling, a furniture designer. Raymond Gosling passed away on May 18, 2015, at 88 years old.
See also
- In Spanish: Raymond Gosling para niños
